5Q. Meglos

  • Script Editor: Christopher H. Bidmead;
  • Writers: John Flanagan and Andrew McCulloch;
  • Produced by: John Nathan-Turner;
  • Director: Terence Dudley;
  • Designer: Philip Lindley;
  • Incidental Music: Paddy Kingsland (1) and Peter Howell (2-4);

Programme Description

The Doctor is invited by the leader of Tigella, Zastor, to visit the planet because there is concern between the religious Deons and the scientific Savants. The TARDIS is intercepted by Meglos, the megalomaniacal last survivor from the planet Zolfa-Thura.

The TARDIS is trapped in a time loop, although the Doctor manages to break free. Meglos uses the stolen body of an Earthling and transforms himself into a duplicate of the Doctor.

Disguised as the Doctor Meglos steals the Tigellans' power source - a mysterious dodecahedron. Meglos plans to use the dodecahedron to power an apocalyptic device which would be used to destroy Tigella.

The Doctor is hindered by the Gaztak, hired by mercenaries, but manages to succeed in tampering with the dodecahedron, and the resulting explosion destroys Meglos.

Regular Cast

  • Voice of K-9: John Leeson;
  • Romana: Lalla Ward;

Guest Cast

  • General Grugger: Bill Fraser;
  • Lieutenant Brotadac: Frederick Treves;
  • Zastor: Edward Underdown;
  • Lexa: Jacqueline Hill;
  • Caris: Colette Gleeson;
  • Deedrix: Crawford Logan;
  • Earthling: Christopher Owen;
  • Tigellan Guard: Simon Shaw;

  • UNCREDITED CAST:
  • Meglos: Tom Baker, Christopher Owen;
  • Gaztacs: Tony Allef, Bruce Callender, Hi Ching, John Holland, James Muir, Ranjit Nakara;
  • Tigellans: Michael Gordon Browne, Harry Fielder, Pater Gates Fleming, Laurie Goode, Geoff Whitestone;
  • Ceremonial Guards: Michael Brydon (4), David Cleeve (4);
  • Savants: (all 2) Howard Barnes, David Cole, Stephen Kane, John Laing;
  • Lexa's Deons: all 1,3,4) Terence Creasey, Ray Knight, Chris Marks, Eddie Sommer;
  • Deon Elders: (all 1,3,4) Lewis Hooper, Sylvia Mariott, Stephen Nagy;

Transmissions

ChannelEpisodeTitleDateViewersPosition
BBC 1 530 Part One Sat 27 Sep 1980 2718:15 - 18:40 5.0M 105th
BBC 1 531 Part Two Sat 4 Oct 1980 418:15 - 18:40 4.2M 139th
BBC 1 532 Part Three Sat 11 Oct 1980 1117:45 - 18:10 4.7M 129th
BBC 1 533 Part Four Sat 18 Oct 1980 1817:40 - 18:05 4.7M 127th

Repeat Transmissions

This programme has not been repeated.

Locations

This programme has not been filmed on location or the locations are not known

Studios

  • Television Centre Studio 3;
  • Television Centre Studio 6;

Bloopers and Mistakes

This programme has no bloopers or mistakes. It's probably not perfect, just that they haven't been found or pointed out yet

Notes and Trivia

This story is notable for the appearance of Jacqueline Hill, some seventeen years after she played one of the first companions, Barbara Wright.

Working Titles

This programme has not working titles
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